3678 Seconds
by Tygerwulfe
Summary: Less than a second is a very long time for a Time Lord - especially when one has been konked on the head by a ton of books.


Author's Notes:

The first line was given to me as a prompt to try and get my NaNoWriMo muse going. Instead, this is what I wound up with. Enjoy!  
_

I don't know how I got there, but I've somehow found myself under a literal ton of books.

It was the kind of situation in which you look back at your life and wonder what choices put you there. Try as I might, I couldn't imagine having done anything differently. Especially since the last few minutes leading up to my literal submergence in the literary world were kind of a blur. In fact, quite a lot was a bit of a blur. Hmm.

The last thing I remembered clearly was thinking this house seemed like something out of a real life game of Clue. Complete with a huge library, a candleabra that looked as if it could definitely kill someone, and eight people who didn't know each other. All we needed was a murder to make the night complete.

Come to think of it, no, I'd been following something. Something that sounded like someone calling my name.. No. Not my name, but close. And not just anyone's voice, someone I knew...

Ok, so maybe a few books from this ton had landed on my head. But, I was on my way to figuring this out. I had to keep my focus and - Ooh! Agatha Christie, right in front of me! No. That wasn't what I was doing. Well, I like Agatha Christie, that's for sure.

What IS my name, anyway? I heard it called. Heard something familiar... The voice was very familiar, very personal. Someone who meant a lot to me. A very lot, actually. Someone who I...

Oh. Ok. Strong feelings, here. So! Let's look over this, shall we? I was called into this room by someone I care for very deeply. And now I am underneath a pile of books. Ok. Which indicates that something, or perhaps the very someone who called me into the room, dropped a ton of- No. She wouldn't do that.

She! Oh! It's a she. The woman I care about. That helps. Ok. And I'm male. It's strange the things a good knock on the head can have you forgetting.

I've been under here a very long time, I feel. I should really do something about getting out. But I should figure out who I am, first. And who the person who called me is. What if she's in danger... She is quite jeopardy friendly.

Rose! Oh, her name is Rose. Rose Tyler. Just the thought of her makes my hearts beat faster. Oh, we're getting somewhere now. So many memories of Rose. We've been together for a long time. Couple of Earth years, at least. More. Maybe. hard to keep track of time when you're time travelling all the time...

Time! Time And Relative Dimension In Space! TARDIS! I'm the Doctor, and that is Rose Tyler. The Doctor and Rose Tyler, in the TARDIS. Every day an adventure. The stuff of legends, that's us! OK! Now that I'm back to myself, I can get up now. Just have to... Oh. The Agatha Christie book. I'll just take that with me. There we are, now. Brilliant.

I really must get out of here. Been stuck under here for almost a full second, now. .3678 seconds, to be precise. Yes. Allons-y!

Rose dug at the pile of books worriedly, calling for the Doctor. She unearthed him just as he shifted enough books from the other side to stand up. His pinstriped suit was wrinkled and his hair wilder than usual, but otherwise he didn't look any the worse for wear. "There you are! Doctor, are you alright?"

He flashed her his brilliant smile. "Look what I found!" He held up a book and Rose laughed. It was Agatha Christie. "We really must go see her one of these days, Rose. Absolutely BRILLIANT author."

"Which you've said before. Are you sure you're ok?" She helped him climb out of the remainder of the pile of books and back out into the middle of the library. "When that case tipped, I thought..." She bit her lip, not wanting to finish that thought.

The Doctor pulled her into a hug. "I'm fine, Rose. Don't worry." When the hug broke, he stepped back and smiled at her. "Though now we have a new mystery to solve." He stepped away from her and went back to examine the bookcase that had tilted away from the wall. "Oh, brilliant! Rose, come look!"

Rose grinned at him. He was fine - of course he was fine. He was the Doctor. Together, they could do anything. She walked over and looked into the gap behind the askew bookshelf and her eyes widened. There was a passageway behind it, leading down into the wall.

The Doctor flashed her a manic grin and took her hand. "Let's investigate!" Rose grinned at him and followed him as they squished behind the bookshelf. She lived for this... for him. For them. Anywhere they went, they'd be fine, because it was them.

They were forever.


End file.
